Gannon: Callahan won’t be solely committed to run

OXNARD, Calif. – With the Dallas Cowboys coming off the worst rushing season in franchise history, it would only stand to reason that the club’s new play caller would sharply increase the team’s commitment to the ground game.

Not so fast, a quarterback who once thrived under Bill Callahan said.

“Bill wants to establish the running game and have a tough, physical offensive identity,” said CBS and Sirius XM NFL Radio analyst Rich Gannon, who won the NFL most valuable player award for the 2002 season with the Callahan-coached Oakland Raiders.
“But you have to remember that with Bill as head coach in 2002, we led the NFL in passing, and that was after we led the NFL in rushing with him as offensive coordinator in 2000. So he has that in his background, the ability to shift gears and take advantage of the personnel.”

In finishing 8-8 and out of the playoffs for a third straight season in 2012, the Cowboys finished sixth in total offense (374.6 yards per game) but ranked 31st in rushing offense (79.1 yards per game).

But that was with head coach Jason Garrett calling plays. Garrett was often quick to abandon the run if Dallas fell behind, a factor in owner Jerry Jones stripping the chore from him during the offseason and handing it to Callahan, a proponent of a physical run game.

Only one problem: The Cowboys, who arrive Friday in Oxnard for training camp, may not have the offensive line to play that way.

“It takes a while to get the right personnel, in place,” Gannon said. “We know the o-line play in Dallas wasn’t very good last season. Typically, Bill has a line that is big and powerful and strong down the middle. The Cowboys weren’t anything like that last year.”

The addition of first-round center Travis Frederick should help, but the line is still a major area of concern.
So what should fans expect from Callahan in his first season calling plays since 2003, when he was fired by Oakland? Given Jones’ orders to maximize the talents of Tony Romo, Callahan likely will call for more quick throws to get the ball via intermediate routes to Dez Bryant and Miles Austin on the run.

Those strikes should help counter the line’s inability to slow pressure. But there’s another way to keep defenses honest: Feed the ball to running back DeMarco Murray, who has helped Dallas to an 8-0 mark when he gets 20 or more carries.

But Gannon stressed it would be wrong to expect the Cowboys to become a ground and pound team. History supports that claim: In 2002, the Raiders became the first team to win games in the same season while rushing at least 60 times (in a 24-0 win over Kansas City) and passing it at least 60 times (in a 30-17 win over Pittsburgh).

“When we went to play the Steelers in 2002,” Gannon said, “Bill came to me and said, “I don’t think we will be able to run the ball. They are too quick and get the angles on you, so we are going to throw it. You might be throwing it 60 times.’

“That’s how he is. He’s not going to bang his head against the wall against eight-man fronts.”

Gannon also remembers Callahan as “an excellent communicator” who welcomes input from his quarterbacks. Under Callahan, Gannon was an All-Pro three straight seasons (2000-2002) and enjoyed a record-setting season in 2002 with 4,689 yards, 26 touchdowns and a career-best 97.2 passer rating while leading Oakland to the Super Bowl.

“I remember in 2003 going into his office before a preseason game to share some concerns I had,” Gannon said. “Two weeks later, I told him, ‘I don’t think you heard a word I said.’ Well, he pulled out his notes and regurgitated verbatim what I had said. He is good about offering feedback and wants interaction with his quarterbacks.

“He is a good coach. You can say, ‘But he was fired in Oakland.’ But if you look under the hood, he is a good coach, well respected in league circles.”